STYLE AND CULTURE

GET TO KNOW NO ROME

By Sam Higgins, March 23, 2019

Scouted and signed to Dirty Hit, the record label behind The 1975 and Wolf Alice, No Rome is taking on the industry with his signature combination of dreamy synth-pop and an IDGAF attitude. ASOS Magazine sat down with the Manila-born musician and producer to talk about getting his break, owning your style and DMs from megastars. Keep scrolling for a taster of the interview and pick up a copy of ASOS Magazine's Spring 2019 issue to read it in full.

On growing up in Manila
"I love my home, I will always be proud of my own skin, but generally, it was hard to dress up and be a bit weird 'cause there’s not a lot of people who want to be [that way]. I had to look at women’s clothes for the proper fit 'cause if I wore men’s clothes, they’re usually too big. Eventually, I just embraced it."

On his music
"I started making music to reach out to people because I want to live in a world where it’s decent and better for everybody, a place where nobody’s worried about going out or worried about what people are going to think."

On owning his style
"We need to be speaking about it. Just pull up wearing these clothes, you don’t have to talk about it all day like, 'I got this in the women’s section!' People are wearing tight jeans, you gotta accept the fact people like tight jeans, some don’t. Some people wear makeup, some don’t. Who gives a shit?"

Pictures: Ana Cuba, Styled by Ben Van Der Broek

On mental health
"We're always going to have to worry about something. I suffer from depression and anxiety, and I talk about that in my music, but I think if we lived in a world with less worry, then at least the self-hate would stop."